Never seen them live, but judging from archived footage, I think it's better to see them now than it was 10 + years ago. They were filmed for a day-time, open-air show in SF back in 2003 and boy I tell ya, what a bunch of fat, washed-up, football fans they resembled. At least they've trimmed up somewhat since then. Their lowest point might be behind them, but eh......to be a Metallica fan is to be nothing much at all, as far as I'm concerned. It's like saying you're a U2 fan. So fucking what?

well er yeah, in hindsight, the word "fan" isn't really the word I meant to use, nor normally use to describe anything I respect or like. think i'll change it..

Lol. Could have phrased that better. Sorry. I was saying that with the aforementioned mongoloid fans, who think that by knowing the Big 4, they thus have a degree in Metal, qualifying them to name-drop the same bands over and over again in conversation, wasting our precious air._________________The sweetest sweet scent of their fresh let blood

Never seen them live, but judging from archived footage, I think it's better to see them now than it was 10 + years ago. They were filmed for a day-time, open-air show in SF back in 2003 and boy I tell ya, what a bunch of fat, washed-up, football fans they resembled. At least they've trimmed up somewhat since then. Their lowest point might be behind them, but eh......to be a Metallica fan is to be nothing much at all, as far as I'm concerned. It's like saying you're a U2 fan. So fucking what?

well er yeah, in hindsight, the word "fan" isn't really the word I meant to use, nor normally use to describe anything I respect or like. think i'll change it..

Lol. Could have phrased that better. Sorry. I was saying that with the aforementioned mongoloid fans, who think that by knowing the Big 4, they thus have a degree in Metal, qualifying them to name-drop the same bands over and over again in conversation, wasting our precious air.

Don't forget Testament ! They are the obscure band that these types will name drop in a conversation to show the depths of their metal knowledge.

The first 4 Metallica albums are among the best albums of all-time IMHO, and I was a HUGE fan right up until I bought the 'black album'. That steaming pile of crap turned me off, and the way the band starting catering to their new pop fans and shitting on their old metal fans made me hate them with a passion. I have never stopped listening to the first 4, but I completely ignored anything and everything after that, and I made sure I told everyone who would listen why I hated them.

(My 'famous' story is that I got spit on in high school for wearing a Metallica shirt...and after the band sold out those same people that spit on me became huge Metallica fans. I felt like the band pissed all over my 'years of service' and started focusing on pleasing those pissants that disrespected me and them back in the day.)

The years passed, and I continued to ignore all post-Justice Metallica. Death Magnetic came out, and I ignored that too. BUT...my brother (who brought me up as a metalhead and turned me on to Metallica in '83) persistently told me that Death Magnetic was a great album and I had to hear it. I steadfastly refused...until about a year ago when we drove home from an Overkill show. He popped the CD in without me noticing, and cranked it up. And you know what? I liked it...in fact, I fucking REALLY liked it. I bought it the next day, and I still listen to it fairly often. Yeah, Hetfield's vocals suck and it doesn't compare to the first 4...but it's heavy, not commercial at all, and has the same feeling as Justice in terms of being an album with many layers that you can really get lost in.

I will never forgive Metallica for turning their back on me (that's my perception, anyway) all those years ago, but I'm happy to bury the hatchet at least a little and to be able to enjoy some new material by them. It helps if I pretend they broke up after Justice and reformed for Death Magnetic!_________________Evil Is As Evil Does...

Went to see them in Gothenburg on Sunday, first time in almost 15 years and it was great. Played lots of old classics, started off with Hit the Lights and played a good few from RTL. After all these years those older records are still killer. Not a fan of the stuff after MOP, but they have enternal respect for those early records.

Been on a Metallica buzz since the show

NP:

I was listening the Big Four dvd this week, and remember the concerts here (The Slayer show was some weeks before, but with a boring setlist like the Metallica show last year...)

The show in Sweden sounds fuckin good! Hit the Lights aaarrgh, here only played the classic "seek and destroy" to finish the show, and only 3 songs from RTL..
I want to see there again with this awesome setlist: less Death Magnetic and fuel and more classics. Only Kill 'em All is real !_________________BENDITO EL FRUTO DE TU VIENTRE OH! MADRE MUERTE

First 5 albums fucking kill for me - I've been revising Justice a lot more over the past few years and it hold up for me as well as the first four - and I'm not going to lie, I loved The Black album when I was 11 years old although it's more of a nostalgia for me at this point, whereas the other albums have held up consistently over time in every possible way. Probably my some of my favorite albums ever, which is why I completely understand why this next bit will sound biased and scornful:

Post 1991, the band can fuck right off. Not interested in the new shit, and not interested in seeing them live, which has more to do with the absolutely grotesque behavior of Lars and James than anything else, I'll happily go see Maiden or Priest rehash old stuff or do new stuff, but I cannot get by the bullshit of Some Kind Of Monster, Load and whatever else they've been inflicting on the world - Jason was awesome to quit and walk away from that kind of income. While I'm not at all a fan of Echobelly or whatever they're called I totally think the dude is right on for walking away from that bloated freakshow........

definetly Hetfields vocals today just don't have it for me..I miss the old vocals, especially when they play the classics. But honestly, if this big four comes somewhere near you, it'd be worth going a long. The Gothenburg show blew me away. I went for Slayer but my ten year old wanted to see Metallica and I'm glad he did otherwise I'd have missed a great show.

Most of the GBG show is on youtube. Don't get the Beach balls though..fukking stupid.

The first 4 Metallica albums are among the best albums of all-time IMHO, and I was a HUGE fan right up until I bought the 'black album'. That steaming pile of crap turned me off, and the way the band starting catering to their new pop fans and shitting on their old metal fans made me hate them with a passion. I have never stopped listening to the first 4, but I completely ignored anything and everything after that, and I made sure I told everyone who would listen why I hated them.

(My 'famous' story is that I got spit on in high school for wearing a Metallica shirt...and after the band sold out those same people that spit on me became huge Metallica fans. I felt like the band pissed all over my 'years of service' and started focusing on pleasing those pissants that disrespected me and them back in the day.)

The years passed, and I continued to ignore all post-Justice Metallica. Death Magnetic came out, and I ignored that too. BUT...my brother (who brought me up as a metalhead and turned me on to Metallica in '83) persistently told me that Death Magnetic was a great album and I had to hear it. I steadfastly refused...until about a year ago when we drove home from an Overkill show. He popped the CD in without me noticing, and cranked it up. And you know what? I liked it...in fact, I fucking REALLY liked it. I bought it the next day, and I still listen to it fairly often. Yeah, Hetfield's vocals suck and it doesn't compare to the first 4...but it's heavy, not commercial at all, and has the same feeling as Justice in terms of being an album with many layers that you can really get lost in.

I will never forgive Metallica for turning their back on me (that's my perception, anyway) all those years ago, but I'm happy to bury the hatchet at least a little and to be able to enjoy some new material by them. It helps if I pretend they broke up after Justice and reformed for Death Magnetic!

I heard the same thing about this album, heard it, heard it again, heard it a third time and said, "Hey, at least now they're ripping off only themselves." Every damn riff on there can be attributed to the first four albums in some fashion, and it's the worst cut-and-paste job in the history of music. It can be tolerated to listen to, I admit, but it's a rehash of their early sound._________________----------------
http://rateyourmusic.com/~DrkKNight

My fingers are still crossed for a great record from them before it's all over. At least DM was a step in the right direction. Not a BAD record, but just not that good either...

But honestly, they could put out another RTL and it would mean nothing to me at this point. The fact is they pissed on their legacy time and time again, threatening to sue fans, altering the sound so much that it resembles nothing of metal anymore, turning their backs on the medium that made them famous.

Honestly, and this comes from a guy who was into them in 1984 and has put in his time with them, they could completely go back to grass roots but the damage is done for me and many other true metal fans that take serious umbrage with a band that turns on the pack that got them where they are._________________----------------
http://rateyourmusic.com/~DrkKNight